Last spring, the Governor’s Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding made several bold recommendations on ways to provide more equitable access to high-quality early childhood care and education services in Illinois. One of those recommendations was to give grant funds to local early childhood collaborations to deepen their work and to jumpstart new local collaborations focused on strengthening those early childhood systems.

Fast forward to today, the Collaboration for Childhood is honored to be one of the 20 early childhood collaborations chosen to advance this work in Illinois through an implementation grant and has teamed up with Wonder Works Children’s Museum to connect more families to early childhood resources and family support, and to amplify awareness around the benefits and availability of affordable preschool programs.

For more details on the Birth to Five Illinois Grant – please see this press release from the Collaboration for Early Childhood.

Working together, the Collaboration for Early Childhood and Wonder Works will be offering a number of parent and caregiver education opportunities in the coming months. Click on each of the events below to be taken to the registration page:

• March 12 – 3PM – 5PM – Childcare Meet and Greet
• March 25 – 9AM – 10AM – Potty Training Workshop
• April 4 – 4PM – 6PM – Tasty Tuesday – Make Your Own Focaccia
• April 5 – 4PM – 6PM – Working Together Wednesday – Viewing of Jim Gill Music Video + Drawing Project + PLAY
• April 7 – 4PM – 6PM – Family Friday – Creating and Obstacle Course Using Everyday Materials
• April 16 – 4PM – 6PM  
• April 28 – 4PM – 6PM 
• May 7- 4PM – 6PM 
• May 27 – 9AM – 10AM 
• June 10 – 9AM – 10AM 
• June 15 – 4PM – 6PM 
• June 25 – 4PM – 6PM